The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-09-28


burgh had also good stock. In Jerseys
the show was small. II. II. Baxter of
Rutland and M. G. Whipple of Pomfret
were the largest exhibitors. Short
horns were shown by George L. Rey-
nolds and Mr.. Van Sicklen of Burling-
ton, Herefords and Polled Aberdeen,
or Angus, cattle by Messrs. Harris and
Vail of Lyndon Center and Galloways by
f. n. Bissell of East Shoreham. These
last much resemble the Angus, as they
are black as coal and without horns.
SHEEP.
In sheep the exhibit was small but
excellent. Shoreham had an exhibit
of Mernos. Almost the entire exhibit
came from that town. Mr.. Albert
Chapman had one lot from Middlebury.
They were Addison county sheep, and
that settles their excellence. The eX-
hibt of Hon. Frederick Billings in his
Southdowns was remarkably fine one.
Mr.. Billings has spared no pains or eX-
pense to secure and breed the finest
animals possible, and his ram, Royal
George, imported from Lord Walsing-
hams flock, was thought as fine as was
ever seen at state fair; but we think
his imported Woodstock, five years old,
is a better sheep. Three two-year-old
ewes-W Woodstock Belle, I'd, Woodstock
Maid, I'd, and Woodstock Lass, I'd
were enough TO make ones mouth water
when he thinks of a mutton-chop from
one of them. Mr.. George Aiken of
Sterlingshire, Scotland, had charge of
Mr.. Billings sheep, and he feeds them
for gain, and as they are the ideal
mutton sheep, flesh counts. j. d.
Wheat of Putney showed flock of
twenty Southdowns, and though through
Mr.. Billings extra care and feeding his
sheep were in the finest condition and
carried away most of the first pre-
miums, Mr.. Wheat's sheep were equally
well bred, being in fact largely drawn
from Mr.. Billings flock, and made a
good second The point of profitable
feeding is one which ought and will re-
ceive good deal more attention.
Colonel LeGrand b. Cannon had also
took the blue ribbon for yearling ram.
II. r. Thomas of Burlington had a
flock which might do in some exhibits,
but they were in bad company. When
man is going to compete with Bill
ings, Wheat and Cannon in South
downs he needs to have something be-
side sheep which run in a short pasture
George w. Flagg of Braintree had the
largest exhibit of Cotswold sheep on
the grounds-thirty head-and he got
the flock premium, silver medal, and
several first premiums on individual
animals. Mr.. Flagg is an old and
careful breeder and has good sheep.
r.. G.. Hill of Gilmore showed thirteen
head. Phillips Brothers of Glover had
eleven head-the second best lot, to our
mind. l.. B. Harris of Lyndon Center
showed fifteen head of Thropshire-
downs. These are something like the
Southdowns in appearance, having black
faces, but are larger and apparently
coarser They are classed as middle
woods, but are coarse-wools. The South
downs are the thorough breds among
sheep, and the Oxforddowns come by
cross of the Southdowns and Leicesters,
while the Thropshires are cross be-
tween the Cotswolds and Hampshire
downs. Another breed, the Cheviots,
are smaller, hardy mountain breed.
POULTRY.
The poultry department, as compared
with the exhibit of previous years,
had increased in extent and included
several novelties never exhibited before
in the state-white Plymouth Rocks,
white Dirigos and white Wyandottes
being some of them. The two largest
exhibits were by G.. G. Paine of East
Bethel and F. II. Weeden of South
Royalton, who together exhibited one
hundred twenty coops, including nearly
all the varieties found in the standard.
AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.
In agricultural implements and farm
machinery the exhibit was large and
excellent. We can notice only few
things of known excellence and some
things new here. The Wheeler &
Meleck Company of Albany, n. Y,
showed rye threshing-machine, which
threshes the grain, effecting an entire
separation of the grain from the straw
and leaving the straw unbrOken. II
being six and half feet wide. The
grain is not fed endwise, as in ordinary
threshers, but sidewise, the whole straw
going in at once and coming out the same
way and unbroken. 1t was new thing
on the ground, never having been shown
at Vermont state fair before. The
st. Adams Foundry Co. showed one
two and three horse-powers with theil
threshers, Leslie's patent cleaner, q
Dagger, elevator for straw, fodder,
shredder, etc. The Leslie cleaner takes
all straws, grain heads and foul seed
from the grain in threshing and de-
livers it ready for use. Their circular
saw attachment for the powers is al
once the simplest and handiest we have
ever seen. A regulator attached to the
fly-wheel maintains uniform speed
and if the belt should run off the speed
would not materially increase. William
Deering e Company of Chicago, showed
a line of harvesting machinery il
operation, having a steam engine fol
motive power. First in line was thei
all-steel harvester and twine-binder
which cuts siX-foot swath, binds the
grain and delivers the bundles, eight il
place, ready for shocking. Second
their light reaper and self-raker, which
leaves the grain in readiness for thu
binder, out of the way of the machn,
in the next bout, so one is not unde
the necessity of following the machin,
to bind. The Deering Giant mower cut
a five, six or seven foot swath. Th
machine is claimed, from its peculia
nopetruptiop N ha 90 1iobt draft OK a N,